Sound waves were used to convert stem cells to bone cells, a tissue engineering breakthrough that might one day help patients rebuild bone missing due to cancer or degenerative illness. Through the precise power of high-frequency sound waves, RMIT researchers have developed a new stem cell therapy that provides a sensible path forward for tackling some of the field’s toughest obstacles.
Experiments to convert adult stem cells to bone cells have so far relied on intricate and costly apparatus and have struggled with scale manufacturing, making broad clinical usage unfeasible. Furthermore, the few therapeutic experiments that have attempted to rebuild bone have relied heavily on stem cells harvested from a patient’s bone marrow — a painful operation. Large numbers of bone cells that will survive and flourish once transplanted in the target region are a fundamental problem in regrowing bone.
Using high-frequency sound waves, the RMIT research team demonstrated that stem cells could be transformed into bone cells fast and effectively. The findings were published recently in the journal Small. More importantly, the therapy worked on a variety of cells, even fat-derived stem cells, which are far easier to remove from a patient.
The sound waves shorten the time it takes for stem cells to start transforming into bone cells by multiple days. They invented a sound wave-generating gadget that can be used to alter cells, fluids, and materials accurately. They may employ sound waves to activate the transformation process by applying exactly the correct amount of pressure to the stem cells in the precise spots. Because the device is inexpensive and easy to operate, it might readily be scaled up to treat huge numbers of cells at once, which is critical for successful tissue creation.
The next step in the study is to look at ways to scale up the platform, with the goal of creating realistic bioreactors that can enable effective stem cell differentiation.
